The present invention relates generally to canes, crutches, and the like, relates specifically to improved canes, crutches, and the like for use on slippery types of travel surfaces, and relates more particularly to an anti-skid device for a cane, crutch, or the like.
As is well known in the art, canes, crutches, and the like are prone to skid or slip on slippery type travel surfaces, such as travel surfaces covered by ice or snow. Canes, crutches, and the like are especially prone to slipping under cold conditions where a rubber tip conventionally located on the bottom end of the cane, crutch, or the like becomes hard and loses its gripping characteristics due to the cold temperatures. Prior to the present invention, canes, crutches, and the like included various retractable grippers; however such prior devices were less than satisfactory for various reasons. First, such devices were very prone to build-up of travel surface residue such as ice and snow, thus at times rendering the devices inoperable. Further, such prior devices did not engage with the travel surface if the crutch was located at certain angles to the travel surface, thus rendering the devices ineffective in these positions. Likewise, many of these prior devices included only a single spike, which does not provide effective anti-skid characteristics. Furthermore, these prior devices were of complicated structures requiring specially made canes, crutches, or the like or required extensive modification to existing canes, crutches, or the like.
The present invention solves these and other problems and disadvantages of the prior art in canes, crutches, or the like by providing in the preferred embodiment an anti-skid device. A non-skid member is movably mounted between a first, non-travel surface engaging position and a second, travel surface engaging position and is allowed to rotate about a vertical axis which is generally parallel to but spaced from the cane. The non-skid member has a removed portion for receiving the bottom end of the cane and defines a first abutment portion and a second abutment portion located on opposite sides of the bottom end of the cane. The non-skid member is then rotatable about the vertical axis between a first position where the first abutment portion abuts with the bottom end of the cane and a second position wherein the second abutment portion abuts with the bottom end of the cane. The non-skid member further includes members for contacting the travel surface in a non-skid manner located generally on opposite sides of the bottom end of the cane. The non-skid member may be biased in one of the first or second positions. The anti-skid device further includes a member for moving the non-skid member against the bias of the biasing member to the other of its first and second positions.
It is then an object of the present invention to provide an improved cane, crutch, or the like for use on slippery travel surfaces.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a novel anti-skid device for a cane, crutch, or the like.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide such novel anti-skid device which insures that the non-skid member contacts the travel surface even though the cane, crutch, or the like is at an angle to the travel surface.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide such novel anti-skid device which knocks off any travel surface residue such as snow or ice from the non-skid member.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide such novel anti-skid device which is of simple design and which can be easily attached and removed from a standard cane, crutch, or the like.
These and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become clearer in the light of the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of this invention described in connection with the drawings.